Tree planting ?'s

[Bacon]

Bacon,

do you currently own a weed badger?

No. I have a buddy with one. Why, got one for sale?

 

[Magpie]

There's a reason there weren't any trees here before us white folks showed up. That's why it's called a prairie.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

No Bacon, I do not own one but wish I did. Recently purchased a quarter of land without a tree on it but could seriously use shelter belts.

My past experiences with tree row weeding contractors is a labor trying to get them when needed.

Since weed barrier came along I haven't seen much in the way of weed badgers for sale or contractors with them advertising. When I get serious I would suppose placing a want ad for a new/used weed badger may be the best route.

 

[gst]

Junipers and russian olives and the like will grow if you eat the seeds and take a shit somewheres. Other trees simply will not do well at all when planted in sod. On a given year with just the right conditions you may have success but over all the effort in spraying BEFORE you mow, then mowing and then tilling several times will yeild the best results. Ground prep should have been done the year prior.

Over many years we have found efforts in good ground prep makes ALL the difference.

Fabric is a good way to go but you will have to remember to cut holes larger as trees grow. Around our yard, we actually let the weeds grow in between rows (fabric on trees) then spray them with round up (covered sprayer to reduce drift) when they are taller. Makes for good habitat for birds and helps catch snow to cover trees to protect from deer in the winter.

But we have several hundred deer around each winter to contend with.

We have a VERY hard time keeping trees like ash or cottonwoods from being eaten to the ground by the deer. Will be trying tubes on the next batch but have kind of given up on those varieties.

 

[Traxion]

We did a good amount of trees in the mid 2000's with fabric into CRP type ground. The conservation folks recommended not mowing or tilling along the rows, only to rely on the fabric. Well, it was a pretty big failure. Some made it but they are all stunted IMO. Really disappointed and wish we knew more then. I have guys swear that mowing a 5' strip on either side is just as good as tilling or spraying. I think I would go the mowing route with my next trees.

A question about the Junipers. Is there anything wrong with planting them? Some consider them invasive but they grow well on the prairie, you see them naturally in the Cheyenne River breaks, etc. But if you research some folks don't like them. I am thinking they would be a good, fast growing option for thermal cover. Maybe not 8 rows worth, but at least half or more. Thoughts?

 

[Davy Crockett]

http://www.farmandranchguide.com/ne...cle_b7bcb1b6-fdfb-11e6-8b2e-0b80783d14e1.html

 

[NDwalleyes]

I've been following along trying to come up with a solution to avoid using weed fabric. Having planted over 6000 on the property I manage I can guarantee your success rate will be a waste of time and money.

However.....depending on the number of trees you want to plant and your time frame for planting them, you could plant them in pots an allow them to grow for a minimum of a year. The small tree pots are easy to find and not to expensive if you buy say 50-100 of them. The trees obviously would not be in the ground on day 1, but you would not loose a growing season, and the potted trees would have a strong root system developed, and would have a great success rate by the time you planted them.

Obviously the planting part is going to be a little more work, but hey....you'll have 1-2 year old trees when you're done.

- - - Updated - - -

I recommend spraying between your tree rows with round up. Planting trees and not having the ability to water them on a regular basis is a bitch. Grasses use up more of your ground water than weeds do. Cutting the grass really does little to slow the use of water in the soil.

 

[Allen]

I hate Russian olives almost as much as I do willows at this point. Sure they have their purposes in life, but I will never plant one of the SOBs.

 

[NDwalleyes]

I hate Russian olives almost as much as I do willows at this point. Sure they have their purposes in life, but I will never plant one of the SOBs.

NRCS is almost to the point of referring to them as noxious. They don't even like to recommend them for planting any more. They are good habitat and they grow fast, but not much to look at.

 

[Davy Crockett]

I wonder why lilac isn't more popular , They smell and look good , Birds love them and they grow like weeds.

 

[Tymurrey]

Most of the trees I've planted have been juniper or cedars. It seems like they are really good for wildlife value and the deer and animals don't browse them much. I've been planting them in native prairie that hasn't been grazed and no real good way to mow the area or spray after they have been planted. Most of my loss of trees has been from piss poor planting practices and no prep work before since I'm terrible at planning where I want to plant. Since I've started planting container stock and using a dibble bar my success rate has increased a lot. The trees are still stunted and it's taken a few years but most are getting to the top or above grass height now and should start taking off better. I haven't put in rows for the most part but just been planting blocks of cedars and junipers. Tried planting some deciduous trees and protecting them with tomato cages but that didn't stop the rabbits or mice so that was a huge waste of money. This year I will be tubing all of the trees. The deciduous trees will get 4' tubes and the larch's and shrub type trees will get 2' tubes to protect from early browsing and allow me to spray around them for a couple of years. If anything I have learned is a little research and planning goes a long ways. My original plan was to buy cheap trees and plant lots and hope for some survival and now I'm more along the lines of cheap trees but spending money to protect and take care of them better is the best route to take. I'm going to try a mix of roundup and pre emergent herbicide such as triflauran (spelling) vs 3' square weed mats this year.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

Traxion said,

We did a good amount of trees in the mid 2000's with fabric into CRP type ground. The conservation folks recommended not mowing or tilling along the rows, only to rely on the fabric. Well, it was a pretty big failure.

Many Coverlocks programs went in using this method/mindset. It's dam hard to till in between rows without hooking the fabric and ripping it up. That leaves spraying and mowing. Spraying is tough to control drift. Grasses take up a lot of moisture and mowing them isn't the answer.

I did one block planting of 20 acres. No fabric. Kept the dirt black the first 4 years. I mean black. The trees are skyscrapers compared to Coverlocks programs.

 

[Traxion]

Traxion said,



Many Coverlocks programs went in using this method/mindset. It's dam hard to till in between rows without hooking the fabric and ripping it up. That leaves spraying and mowing. Spraying is tough to control drift. Grasses take up a lot of moisture and mowing them isn't the answer.

I did one block planting of 20 acres. No fabric. Kept the dirt black the first 4 years. I mean black. The trees are skyscrapers compared to Coverlocks programs.

Yes, it is hard to work between them. Our smallest disc is 14' and it does not fit, well it does if you tear the shit out of the fabric. We may have found a smaller one and hope to be able to use it. I would like to do a bunch of hand replants and then keep things black.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Absolutely agree that trees will grow much faster without fabric, keeping the soil tilled. Had a buddy that kept his black and we had fabric on our big planting and his were a minimum of twice the height of ours. We had fabric with grass planted between the rows and kept it mowed.
If i did it all over again i would make between the rows 15'-20' feet wide.

There was a guy just east of Bismarck that had a weed badger for sale for a skidsteer. Think it was last year and don't know if he ever sold it.